Process and apparatus for drying and fixing bands of crimped synthetic threads



Jan. 26, 1965 H. TAUL ETAL 3,166,320

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR DRYING AND FIXING BANDS OF CRIMPED SYNTHETIC THREADS Filed March 2, 1961 INVENTORS: HORST TAUL ALBERT NEEFF BY wzw ATT'YS long as wool fibers.

United States Patent 4 Claims. Cl. 28-1) The present invention is directed to a process and apparatus for continuously crimping cables or bands of synthetic filaments.

Synthetic filaments such as polyesters, nylon, rayon, etc., have smooth surfaces and are straight when they leave the spinning nozzles. If it is desired to produce a product resembling wool from such fibers, the synthetic filaments are both cut and crimped. The filaments are cut to produce staple fibers which are approximately as The crimping operation increases the area taken up by the individual threads and causes finished products to resemble more closely the handle or feel of wool or other natural fibers.

In crimping devices of the type with which this invention is concerned, thread cables consisting of several thousand filaments are passed from multiple-hole nozzles to a gathering means and then to a crimping chamber. Pressure is applied to the thread bundles in the chamber which compresses them into tight layers. A fine crimp (micro-crimp) is formed in the filaments as well as a larger crimp (macro-crimp) within the chamber. The macro-crimp is caused by the folding of the bands at the chamber walls.

In the past, crimped bundles were passed from the crimping chamber to containers or cans where they were subjected to a hot steam treatment. The steam treatment along with a subsequent drying step fixed the crimp in the threads. The use of containers or cans for the purpose of fixing the crimp was uneconomical and could not be combined with a continuous thread treatment process. Although it was possible to fill several cans successively, and therefore it was not necessary to cut off the crimped cable when a can was full, the number of containers which could be handled in this manner waslimited. Additionally, the steam treatment had to take place in a closed area. Accordingly, only as many full cans could be simultaneously-exposed to the saturated steam treatment as could find room in the fixing area. After the treatment with steam, which could last for about 45 minutes, the cans were brought into a drying room where they were exposed to the action of hot air for a like period of time. It was only at this point in the process that the crimped cables could be cut. Because the crimped cable was not endless the cutting could not be carried out continuously.

Certain processes and devices are known by which crimped bands can be continuously fixed and dried. In such processes the bands of filaments are conducted through drying means such as a drum drier. customarily, a number of rotating drums with perforated surfaces are so arranged that the cables pass from one drum to another. The cables are subjected to a partial vacuum within the drums. Because of the suction effect produced by the partial vacuum and'because of the tension applied to the cable in its transfer from drum to drum, the macrocrimp often is completely pulled out of the cable and the micro-crimp is in part pulled out. For this reason the volume of the finished yarn is considerably reduced, which is of considerable disadvantage in the formation of textiles.

Inasmuch as the crimped band passes through the fixing apparatus under tension and is likewise delivered under tension to a cutting device, .such processes do not allow openings are arranged in area 6 of the shaft.

aisassa Patented Jan. 25, 1965 any play which would make it possible, for example, to change the blades of the cutter head during the operation period. If the cutter head blade has to be changed, the entire process must be stopped. Another disadvantage of the prior art equipment is that their use is uneconomical because of the large amounts of energy which they require' A considerable quantity of moving hot steam or hot air is required due to the size of the apparatus. The rotating elements also make cleaning difiicult and time consuming. Another disadvantage of the known continuous methods is that the drum driers take up a large amount of space.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide apparatus for crimping artificial fibers which avoids the problems inherent in the prior art devices.

, Another object 'of the invention is to provide an improved process for regulating the feed of artificial fibers to a crimping chamber as well as the rate at which such fibers are withdrawn from the crimping chamber.

Still another object is to provide an improved apparatus for fixing the crimp of synthetic filaments.

Another object is to provide an improved method of continuously crimping and fixing the crimp of synthetic fibers.

Other objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the invention.

In general, the present invention comprises the discovery that the defects inherent in the prior art processes can be avoided by passing the crimped filament cables under a transverse motion into a rectangular shaft located beneath the crimping chamber. As the cable is moved through the shaft by its own weight, the cable is brought in contact withcurrents of either hot air or superheated steam which are directed against the cable in a direction perpendicular to the movement of the cable through the shaft. Subsequently, a current of cold air is directed against the cable in a like manner within the shaft.

Attention is now directed to the accompanying drawing in which a specific embodiment of the invention has been set forth for purposes of illustration.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectional view diagrammatically showing a stuffing apparatus embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a partial vertical sectional view diagrammatically showing a preferred embodiment of the subject stufiing chamber; and v I FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' of FIG. 2.

In FIG. 1, a thread cable is shown passing from crimp ing chamber 1 through a transverse motion device 2 to shaft 3. In the embodiment pictured in FIG. 1, the shaft is closed off by plates 4 whichare urged against the packed cable by weights 5. The crimped cable'collects on plates 4 and fills shaft 3. A number OfoppositelydispOsed Hot air or steam from jacket 7 is passed through the openings and the crimped cable. Jacket 7 includes air or steam feed and withdrawal lines 8 and 9. Area It) of shaft 3 also has a number of oppositely disposed openings. .Area Ill is surrounded by jacket 11 which includes feed andwithdrawal lines 12 and 13." Cold air is passed from feed line 12 through area lltl of shaft 3 and out withdrawing line 13. 1

A preferred embodiment of the stufiing chamber is set forth in FIG. 2 of the drawing. The upper portion of the apparatus is not shown inasmuch as it is a duplicate of the apparatus of FIG. 1. Below area 10, cooling chamber 11, and feed and withdrawing lines 12 and 13, shaft 3 assumes an arc shape. The angle which isformed by it is in its packed form.

the two legs of the shaft prevailing operating conditions. The sharper the angle, the slower willbe the movement of the crirnped packing through the shaft provided that the other dimensions of the apparatus remain constant.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' of FIG. 2. This figure shows the Openings in area 16 of shaft 3 as well as chamber 11 and feed and withdrawal lines 12 and 13.

The shaft or stuffing chamber preferably is arranged directly beneath the crimping chamber. The shaft is designed in such a way that the crimped cables collect in'the shaft and move ahead in the form of a packing which fills the entire cross-section of the shaft. In this arrangement the material to be treated is itself at rest. In our preferred embodiment the shaft angles upward at a point beneath the cooling chamber. In both embodiments shown in the drawing the shaft leads vertically, or

substantially vertically, downward from the crimping chamber. Due to the bend in the shaft in our preferred embodiment, the resistance of the movement of the packed cable can be regulated without necessitating the use of pressure plates or the like. On reaching a certain weight, the packing pushes forward beyond the bend in the shaft and up to a point where it can be received by suitable drawing 01f devices and" passed onto the cutting means.

jcrimping process or in the crimping chamber can be cor rected while the cutting head continues to operate.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the shaft is equipped with pressure-loaded plates which are arranged below'the fixing zone. vThe crimped cable accumulates on these plates and is delivered in thrusts as soon as the 7 weight of the packing becomes greater than the pressure exerted by the weights on the plates.

This embodiment also makes it possible to continuously dry and fix the crimped band.

In the subject apparatus, the fixing zone must'be arranged so that the hot air or superheated steam as well as the cold air flows through the crimped cable While In other words, the fixing zone must be between the crimping chamber and that part of the shaft which holds back the passage of the crirnped cable. .In areas 6 and 10, the shaft is provided with oppositely.disposed openings which preferably are arranged in two sides of the four-sided shaft. These areas of the shaft are surrounded by chambers which include feed and withdrawal lines for the passage of either a heating fluid or a cooling fluid. The area of the shaft which is designed for the passage ofeither hot air or steam should be separated from the area in whichcold air flows through the shaft. The separation of these two areas prevents, the

. co-mingling of the hot and the cold fluids.

The. shaft should have a rectangular cross-section in order to insure that thefiow of either hot or cold fluids occurring to the crimped cables. The cross-section of the arcuateportion cf the shaft of the preferred embodiment set'f'orth in FIG; 2 of thedrawing should be uniform and sharp tangles should'be avoided.

The present invention combines the advantages of a continuous process-with the advantages found in treating the crimped bands while they are in the form of a packing. By this method it-is possible to 'preserve completely the is selected according to the crimped condition of the cable. Additionally, the maintenance of the subject apparatus is extremely simple largely because of the fact that no rotating elements are required.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the invention as hereinbefore set forth may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and therefore only such limitations should be imposed as are indicated in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A process for continuously drying and fixing crimped bands of endless synthetic threads which comprises passing the crimped threads emerging from a crimping chamber under transverse motion into a rectangular, hollow shaft located beneath the opening of said crimping chamber, whereby said threads substantially fill a given crosssection of said shaft; allowing the packed threads to be moved through the shaft under the urging of the weight of the packed threads; directing a current of heated fluid on said threads within an area of said shaft, said current passing in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of said packed threads through said shaft; and thereafter contacting said packed threads with a current of cold air in a separtae area of said shaft, said current of cold air passing through said packing in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of said packing through said shaft.

2. An improved device for treating crimped bands of synthetic threads which comprises a rectangular, hollow shaft positioned directly beneath a crimping chamber, pressure-loaded plates closing the exit opening of said shaft, thread distributing means associated with said shaft, said distributing means being capable of transverse movement above said shaft and across the opening of said shaft whereby said crimped bands are placed in said shaft and substantially fill said shaft, said shaft including two separate treatment zones having openings in opposite sides of said shaft, jackets surrounding said treatment zones, and means for passing treating fluid through said hollow shaft at each of said treatment zones in a direction perpendicular to the movement of said crimped threads through said shaft and for withdrawing said treating fluid from said shaft.

3. An improved device for treating crimped bands of synthetic threads which comprises a rectangular, hollow shaft positioned directly beneath a crimping chamber, thread distributing means associated with said shaft, said distributing means being capable of transverse movement above said shaft and across the opening of said shaft whereby said crimped bands are placed in said shaft and substantially fill said shaft, said shaft including two sep arate treatment zones having openings in opposite sides of said shaft, jackets surrounding said zones, and means for passing treating fluid through said hollow shaft in a direction perpendicular to the movement of crimped threads through said shaft and for withdrawing said treating fluids from said shaft; the area of said shaft below said treatment zones being arcuatc in shape so that the shaft defines two leg portions, the angle between the two leg portions of said shaft being such that the packed threads move through the shaft at a desired rate.

4. An improved device for treating crimped bands of synthetic threads which comprises: a rectangular, hollow shaft positioned directly beneath a crimping chamber, means for controlling the rate at which said crimp-ed threads move through said shaft, thread distributing means associated with said shaft, said distributing means being capable of transverse movement above said shaft and across the opening of said shaft whereby said crimped bands are placed in said shaft and substantially fill said shaft, said shaft including two separate treatment zones having openings in opposite sides of said shaft, jackets surrounding said treatment zones, and means for passing treating fluid through saidhollow shaft in a direction perpendicular to the movement of said crimped threads Referenees Cited in rhe file of this patent- UNITED STATES PATENTS Rainard NOV. 20, 1951 6 Hentschel Dec, 23,1958 Sellers Feb. 24, 1959 Gundlach Feb. 9, 1960 Cook et a1 May 29, 1962 Sonnino July 3, 1962 'Ohashi et a1 July 31, 1962 McFarren et a1 Feb. 26, 1963 

1. A PROCESS FOR CONTINUOUSLY DRYING AND FIXING CRIMPED BANDS OF ENDLESS SYNTHETIC THREADS WHICH COMPRISES PASSING THE CRIMPED THREADS EMERGING FROM A CRIMPING CHAMBER UNDER TRANSVERSE MOTION INTO A RECTANGULAR, HOLLOW SHAFT LOCATED BENEATH THE OPENING OF SAID CRIMPING CHAMBER, WHEREBY SAID THREADS SUBSTANTIALLY FILL A GIVEN CROSSSECTION OF SAID SHAFT; ALLOWING THE PACKED THREADS TO BE MOVED THROUGH THE SHAFT UNDER THE URGING OF THE WEIGHT OF THE PACKED THREADS; DIRECTING A CURRENT OF HEATED FLUID ON SAID THREADS WITHIN AN AREA OF SAID SHAFT, SAID CURRENT PASSING IN A DIRECTION PERPENDICULAR TO THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID PACKED THREADS THROUGH SAID SHAFT; AND THEREAFTER CONTACTING SAID PACKED THREADS WITH A CURRENT OF COLD AIR IN A SEPARATE AREA OF SAID SHAFT, SAID CURRENT OF COLD AIR PASSING THROUGH SAID PACKING IN A DIRECTION PERPENDICULAR TO THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID PACKING THROUGH SAID SHAFT.
 4. AN IMPROVED DEVICE FOR TREATING CRIMPED BANDS OF SYNTHETIC THREADS WHICH COMPRISES: A RECTANGULAR, HOLLOW SHAFT POSITIONED DIRECTLY BENEATH A CRIMPING CHAMBER, MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE RATE AT WHICH SAID CRIMPED THREADS MOVE THROUGH SAID SHAFT, THREAD DISTRIBUTING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID SHAFT, SAID DISTRIBUTING MEANS BEING CAPABLE OF TRANSVERSE MOVEMENT ABOVE SAID SHAFT AND ACROSS THE OPENING OF SAID SHAFT WHEREBY SAID CRIMPED BANDS ARE PLACED IN SAID SHAFT AND SUBSTANTIALLY FILL SAID SHAFT, SAID SHAFT INCLUDING TWO SEPARATE TREATMENT ZONES HAVING OPENINGS IN OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID SHAFT, JACKETS SURROUNDING SAID TREATMENT ZONES, AND MEANS FOR PASSING TREATING FLUID THROUGH SAID HOLLOW SHAFT IN A DIRECTION PERPENDICULAR TO THE MOVEMENT OF SAID CRIMPED THREADS THROUGH SAID SHAFT AND FOR WITHDRAWING SAID TREATING FLUIDS FROM SAID SHAFT. 